870 Not Feeding Shells

Z

ZeRoiFeX

Inactive
Hey guys,

I have a REm 870 Express 18" and while cycling/ejecting some of my target/Winchester AA rounds out of the mag, I noticed that at times it will not chamber the next round @ times from the tube. I'm new to the world of shotguns and I don't know what to exactly call this part, but there's this piece of metal inside the reciever that seems to stick and not allow the next shell to feed. Taking all precations, I open the action and through the ejection port... I'll stick my fingers in there and "unstick" or wiggle the part and the round would pop out of the tube as if it were ready to load. My question is... have any of you run into this problem? Is it my shotgun? Is it the rounds? Is there a break in period for the 870? Keep in mind I have not yet shot my 870 at all. Any input on this issue would be greatly obliged. Thank you for your time...
 
Pumpguns will sometimes do what you describe if "Babypumped", softly cycled. Shotguns are often used during adrenaline surge, and are designed to function perfectly when worked hard.

Work it hard. Bet the prob vanishes.....
 
same happened to me when i was shooting some 2-3/4"s and wasnt racking the slide hard. figured that was the issue so i racked it harderr and it was just fine.
 
None of my 870's have exhibited that problem. Although the advice given is probably true, I would not think it is normal/desired behavior. If you bought it from a gun shop with a gunsmith, I would have him take a look at it.

If you have to take it to a gunsmith and pay him to work on it, I might try to shoot is a while and see if it works itself out. I would imagine a minor tweek or some polishing of the parts would resolve the problem.
 
Here's some free advice:
One, clean the gun.
Field strip it, and use something like "Gun Scrubber" spray to clean out the receiver UNDER the shell releases.

Those are the two long, flat springs that control the feeding of the shells from the magazine.
Often, dirt, burned powder and particles of the shells get impacted under the releases, and this can cause problems.

After using the spray scrubber, let dry, then spray thoroughly with a spray lube, like Rem-Oil or CLP Breakfree.
Drain and wipe off the excess, then reassemble.

Next, try a different brand/type of ammo. Some guns just don't "like" some ammo.

Last, operate the gun briskly, but there's no need to slam it to death.
 
Azoom training rounds

I agree with everyone that it is most likely you are not racking it hard enough. It could be that as you are doing it with live rounds you're trying to be careful, as you should. I am preparing for a combat shotgun class and to help me I bought some all metal azoom training rounds from Lyman.com. You can get them at Cabela's and elsewhere also for about $10 for 2. They have really been great for safe practice, and have increased my confidence level in the SG and my abilities...except for hitting clays that is.
 
I have a 870P that does the same thing. There is something wrong with the gun and I have not got around to fix it yet. There is a shell stopper looking thing that stops all the shells from comming out the mag tub. The thing pops out of track. I have to take a screwdriver and push it back in track so to speak. It will only pop back in track when the pump is all the way back. The gun will work fine till this part pops back out. A guy on another forum told me how to fix it and that this kinda thing can happen to 870s. I'm ready to go to bed and don't remember what the part was called. He said I need to peen back a rivet? Like I said I have not fixed the gun yet so I'm not sure what it's going to take to fix it.

Maybe tomorrow would be a good day to fix the 870P. I will look up the part that is giving me a hard time. Maybe we have the same problem?
 
Listen to Dfarriswheel

What you are talking about is the cartridge stop. It is activated by the action bar which has a cam on it to cam the cartridge stop back out of the way to allow the next round to come out and land on the carrier which when the slide goes forward lifts the round up into the chamber. There are two stops, both activated by the action bar. The other stop is the secondary stop which catches the next round in the mag tube to prevent double feeding. When you fire the gun and build up carbon and soot as well as dirt, things get behind the stops and prevent them from working correctly. Sometimes the rivots that hold them in the slot of the gun will work loose and the stop will pop out. There is a tool needed to rivot the stops in place and I wouldn't advise you to try it unless you know how and have a proper tool to do it. You can ugly up the reciever pretty well driving a punch into it if you just go banging away at it.

If you have to work the slide forcefully to get the stops to work correctly, then you need to clean the guns since the stops shouldn't have to take a strong hit by the cam of the action bar to work. The cams should provide enough movement to move the stops back out of the way and they should snap back under their own spring tension as well as the rounds should pop out of the mag tube under spring tension. If anything gets behind the stops, they might not work correctly and you should clean behind them. Sometimes they get bent and need to be straightened or bent back the right way to make them work. Sometimes the tip needs to be bent outward because they have straightened out. If you can't clean them and get them to work, take it to your smith and let him fix it for you.
 
my 870 exhibited the same problem:

the shell latch had become unstaked and was bent (i believe someone pried it out with a screw driver, oops).

i straightened it out and it works fine now.

sounds like a close inspection of your shell latches is in order.
 
impact!!!

"I have a 870P that does the same thing. There is something wrong with the gun and I have not got around to fix it yet. There is a shell stopper looking thing that stops all the shells from comming out the mag tub. The thing pops out of track. I have to take a screwdriver and push it back in track so to speak. It will only pop back in track when the pump is all the way back. The gun will work fine till this part pops back out. A guy on another forum told me how to fix it and that this kinda thing can happen to 870s. I'm ready to go to bed and don't remember what the part was called. He said I need to peen back a rivet? Like I said I have not fixed the gun yet so I'm not sure what it's going to take to fix it.

Maybe tomorrow would be a good day to fix the 870P. I will look up the part that is giving me a hard time. Maybe we have the same problem?" - impact

Yes that is the same problem I am having... the piece of metal seems like it went off track, So i have to force it back in with my fingers and the shell then seems to come out of the tube. Impact, when you take it to your gunsmith, please let me know how it goes and if it's an easy fix. I have a 2 year warranty on this thing... and want to take it in if it is a problem with the shotgun.
 
I have seen bent shell latches behave like this but I have not seen un-peened latches cause problems. They are held from moving by the trigger group pins. I have had 870's that function fine but have shell latches that fall out when the trigger group is dropped.
I do not see how loose latches can cause any trouble.
Bent latches for sure but not loose.
I am sure that I mentioned this before but I had an 870 (my first in fact) that I was able to insert the left side pump-handle rail on the wrong side of the latch. That latch would pop out of the channel because the small tab the should been behind the rail was not. In other words I did not move the latch far enough out of the way when I assembled the gun.

Mike

PS. Of course I could be wrong....
 
My 870 did this when the magazine follower was out of spec. The plastic follower looked fine, but would hang up. A new one fixed the issue and it's a cheap variable to try.
 
I just took the gun apart and can't really find anything wrong with the gun. The only thing that may cause my problem is the slide. It has some funny looking wear on the slide where the problem is. But when my shell stop pops out it takes more than your finger to pop it back in track. I'm thinking a new slide will fix me up. My gun is not that old but I did buy it used. If your gun is new I would take it back. But if your problem is the slide? they don't look like they would cost that much. Shipping back to the factory may cost more than the part. I have two other 870s. My 870 super mag has been a good gun. I'm going to take the gun apart to see if the slide looks the same as the p model. (wear that is). I busted many geese with that gun and treat it like ****. So if there is any wear that gun will have it. My other 870 I bought new and put it in the safe. I bought the gun for $189 on sale and it came with a camo aluminum gun case. I use the case more than I do the gun :D

If your shell stop is the problem? after looking at my gun. you really need to send the gun back to the factory. If you can change out the gun that would be good. But I think once you buy the gun. Retail stores will not deal with a gun that does not work or has a problem. I'm not even sure if a gun store will work with you? I'm pretty sure all warranty must be sent back to the factory.
 
impact

Save the money.
The slide has NOTHING to do with shell feed in the 870.

What regulates shell feed are the two shell latches in the receiver, and the "ramps" on the fore end bars.

When the handle is pulled to the rear, the left hand fore end bar's ramp contacts the left shell release and pushes it outward, away from the magazine tube.
This releases the shell to be pushed back into the receiver.

The right hand release catches the NEXT shell, and prevents it from double feeding.

As the pump handle is pushed forward, the right hand action bar's ramp contacts the right shell release and pushes it outward.
This allows the shell to move back a fraction of an inch, where it's caught by the left release, positioning it to be fed the next time the action bar operates the left release.

The slide plays no part in this sequence.

Why the 870 fails to feed properly:
Usually it's traceable to three things.
A weak or rusted magazine spring, or a rusted, bent, squashed, or dented magazine tube.

Worn, damaged, or altered action bars, particularly the small "ramps" that activate the shell releases.

Shell latches that are unstaked, bent, or are blocked from operating by built up dirt underneath.

The MOST common cause of feed problems are the shell releases.
Unstaked releases SHOULD work fine since they're held in by the trigger plate and the disassembly pins, BUT....... this is not always the case.
Shell releases have a narrow range of proper operation, and a loose release can and WILL fail to work properly on occasion.

Often those guns with unstaked releases that malfunction are also guns with a looser fit between the trigger plate and the receiver, AND shell releases that are already close to the edge of proper operatrion.

Shell releases with worn or bent ends, or releases with bent bodies will fail to work.

One of the major causes of shell release failures is plain old dirt impacted behind the releases, which can prevent the release from flexing properly.

Again, the slide has no effect on shell feed.
 
Dfariswheel. sorry. I was talking about the action bar. I need to look at another gun to see if the wear I have is normal. The gun is clean so I don't think it's because the gun is dirty. The ramp on the action bar looks to be rounded off. like I said this gun is not that old but it is used. So no telling if the action bar came with the gun.

One thing I found that I don't like is the clamp that holds the mag extension secure to the barrel. It just don't fit right! When I tighten the clamp it pushes the mag extension away from the barrel. The mag tub and the barrel are not parallel when the clamp is tight. From pics I've seen it looks like a factory part?
 
If you guys are having a gunsmith take a look at things, you may also want to check the timing on your action bars. Many 870's will release the next shell from the magazine prior to ejecting the spent hull. It is pretty easy to check by working the action slowly(!). The problem is not seen too often if you work the action briskly.

I believe they use the same action bars for a variety of guns and chamber lengths.
 
Impact:
On your extension:
The first thing to check is to see if the extension is bent, or the threads on the extension or the threads on the gun's magazine are deformed.

In other words, is the extension out of line?

If everything looks good, you can replace the clamp with an excellent copy of the Remington Factory model made by Uncle Mike's:
http://www.unclemikes.com/adtemplat...y=1279575&subcatky1=4548843&subcatky2=2000180

You can also probably get a new factory version direct from Remington.

If the tube is bent, I think you can also get a new one from Remington.

I strongly recommend you NOT use the gun without a clamp, since a bump can knock the extension off, which damages the gun's magazine tube.

As for your action bar assembly, new action bar assemblies are available from Brownell's, Gun Parts, and direct from Remington.
If the "ramps" look worn or battered, you might be better off just replacing it.
 
Ok... so an update on my situation. I went to the range yesterday and it's still happening. I tryed all different kinds of ammo from birdshot to 00. I pumped the action aggressively... and I still seem to have the same problem. I'm going to have to take it down to my gunsmith to have it checked out and fixed. Thanks to everyone for your help and input.
 
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